How to Avoid Mold Growth in Your Statesville Home

6/4/2018 (Permalink)

Mold growth can affect any home in the Statesville community.

The last thing you want is to discover mold growing inside your home. Besides being unsightly, mold can cause health effects, decrease the home’s value, and even damage the structure. Yet many Statesville homeowners encounter mold growth at some point. While mold remediation companies like SERVPRO of Iredell County can help you address your mold problems, there are some things you can do to prevent growth in the first place!

What Causes Mold Growth

Mold spores can be found everywhere—including inside your home. Fortunately, these spores are dormant and aren’t a concern until they are activated. In order for mold spores to grow, they require three main ingredients: moisture, food (organic material), and oxygen. Because the latter two elements are generally available, it’s often only when the spores are exposed to moisture that they begin to grow.

Limiting Moisture in Your Home

Now that we’ve established that moisture is the main factor behind most home mold growth, how do you prevent it from becoming a problem in your home? There are a couple of ways you can limit moisture problems and ultimately reduce your risk of having mold growth.

1. Immediately dry water-damaged areas. If you have water damage inside your home, you should immediately have it professionally cleaned and restored. We often get calls from homeowners who tried to dry their own water damage but eventually end up with mold growth. Unless you know how to properly dry wet materials, you’re setting yourself up for future mold problems.
2. Regulate your home’s humidity levels. If it’s humid inside your home, then mold can feed off the moisture in the air. If you’re unsure about the humidity levels, you can purchase a hygrometer, which will tell you the humidity level in the form of a percentage. We recommend keeping levels between 30% and 50%, but the EPA recommends no more than 60%. You can achieve this by keeping bedroom doors open, running your HVAC system, and/or using a dehumidifier.

Eliminate Mold Growth in Your Home

Even if you take precautions, it’s possible that you’ll still have mold growth. If you do, there’s no need to worry. Our mold remediation professionals have years of experience eliminating active mold growth in Statesville homes and businesses. If you have any mold questions, call SERVPRO of Iredell County today at (704) 872-7466.